Holdback for vehicles



(No Model.)

I. G. BURGETT,

HOLDBAGK FOR- VEHICLES.

No. 389,049. Patented Sept. 4, 1888..

lmbbwa/paca UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn ISAIAH O. BURGET'T, OF WHEATON, ILLINOIS.

HOLDBACK FOR VEHICLES,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,0'i9, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed December 28. 1887. Serial No. 259,260. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAIAH C. BURGETT, of \Vheaton, in the county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Holdback Attachments for Vagon-Thills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this improvement is to provide a simple, strong, and eflicient holdback attachment for thills of wagons, and its construction and the advantages resulting therefrom will be apparent from the following description.

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of my improved holdback attachment as applied to a thill; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the plate; Fig. 3, a side view of the book.

A plate, A, adapted to be firmly fastened by appropriate screws or otherwise to the top of the thill, (one plate for each thill,) has projecting upward from it a case or housing, 1), within which is a cavity, 0, in shape like a partial hollow cylinder, but having a mouth,d, to receive a nearly-circular part, e, of the hook portion F of the complete device. This month (Z is of less size than the diameter of the part, c, which is to be inserted in it; but in order to admit this part 6 into such month, and then permit the hook portion to be turned so that it may be firmly held and locked when turned in one (the backward) direction and pulled by the breeching, but to be automatically on locked and released by merely starting the horse forward after disconnecting the traces from the whiffietree, or in case the horse runs away, upon the breaking of the whiiiletree, I construct the parts as follows: The hook portion F has a recess, 51, and another recess, h, both about in line with the shank z of the hook, and a projection, j. The diameter of the portion 6 being greater than that of the mouth (I of cavity 0, it could not be inserted at all in such cavity without providing aspecial means for allowing such insertion. I therefore cut away or, in casting, leave this recess 9, which permits the dropping of the part 6 into the cavity, the recess g at such stage being immediately over and receiving the upwardly-projecting part 70 of the plate, such part It being, in fact, the lower edge of the recessed part or cavity a. The hook portion being thus inserted, it is now free to be turned around in the cavity, which thus becomes its socket, until its other recess, 71, comes to a position where it abuts against the upper edge, Z, which constitutes the upper edge of the cavity 0. iVhen in this position, the parts are positively and most efiiciently locked against any possibility of being discon uected by any pull of thebreeching,and,what is of great importance, the strain does not come on the circular part 6, but, being in a line in the direction of the length of the shank of the hook, the main strain comes at the points where the recessed part h bears against the upper edge, Z, this edge being also so located as not only to prevent the hook portion F dropping low enough to throw the strain upon the point of contact of e with the lower projection, k, of the plate, but, in fact, to cause the strain or pull to tend to pull the part c away from 7;. The projection j serves as a bearing-point or fulcrum when the hook is turned in the act of releasing it from its socket in the plate.

I make a small hole, in, in each of the sides of the case or housing 1), near the bottom, to allow the ready escape of any water that might accidentally get in. I also insert rubber (shown at r in Fig. 3) in the tongue or part c, to avoid noise or rattling of the parts.

\Vith my invention the necessity for winding the breeching-strap around the thills is entirely obviated, because when the horse is to be unhitchcd from the wagon it is only necessary to disconnect the trace (or tug) from the whiffletree and start the horse forward, when the hook will at once slip out from its socket and leave the wagon standing, and, as beforeintimated, if the whifiietree breaks and the horse runs away, the holdback will at once become detached and the wagon left standing.

I claim- 1. In a holdback attachmentfor wagonthills, the plate A, having the arched socket or cavity c and edges 7; l, as set forth, in combination with the hook portion F, having the recesses g h, projection j, and the part 6, as set forth.

2. The holdback attachment described, consisting of the plate A, made with the socket c, edges is and Z, and outlets m, combined with the lever-hook F, as made with the described circnlar part 0, projection j, and the opposite recesses, g h, located substantially in line with the shank of the hook.

3. In combination, the-plate A, having the 10 socket c, edges 70 and Z, and outlets m, and the lever-hook F, having the circular part 6, projection j, and recesses g h, located as set forth, and the inserted rubber, all as set forth.

' ISAIAH O. BURGETT.

Witnesses:

H. HOLT, E. B. HOLT. 

